All counties will have same hours for voting

Under pressure, secretary of state orders extra evening time - but drops weekends

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, facing heavy criticism over uneven voting hours that appeared to benefit Republicans, Wednesday ordered all 88 county boards of elections to stay open the same hours this fall.

Husted's directive ordering all election boards to standardize their schedules after early absentee voting begins Oct. 2 sets up the first election in Ohio history with uniform statewide hours.

But while Husted's order mandates limited extra evening voting hours, it will prevent boards from opening on weekends as many did in the 2008 presidential election, when tens of thousands of Ohio voters cast early in-person absentee ballots.

Husted, a Republican, apparently acted to quell a growing national controversy over disparities in voting hours that seemed destined to give the GOP a significant edge in November. He had been widely attacked since The Enquirer reported 10 days ago that he had cast tie-breaking votes blocking extra voting hours in major urban areas that traditionally favor Democrats even as Republican-leaning counties extended their hours.

Wednesday's order will "level the playing field," Husted said. "I have sought to create an environment where the election can be about candidates and their ideas, not the process for electing them."

Some top Ohio Democrats quickly denounced the decision as one that does more to advance the Republicans' political agenda in the presidential election than to lower voting hurdles.

"Each moment we get closer to Election Day, Republicans find more ways to chip away at the number of days and hours Ohio voters have access to the polls," said Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern.

Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, dismissed that criticism as a "predictable part ... of the political theater Democrats are using to try to excite their base."

"The secretary acted very boldly here to standardize voting hours across the state, as it should be," Triantafilou said. "But I'm not surprised it didn't satisfy the Democrats."

Before Husted's announcement created a statewide solution to what previously had been a county-by-county question, the Hamilton County elections board had scheduled today to decide whether to extend local early voting hours this fall.

The meeting will proceed. But Hamilton County Democratic Party chairman Tim Burke - who, like Triantafilou, is a member of the elections board - conceded that there is "nothing more the board can do" as a result of Husted's plan.

"It doesn't go far enough, but it's a heck of a lot better than it was 24 hours ago, so I begrudgingly give him credit," Burke said. "I am disappointed, though, that he didn't allow at least one Saturday and Sunday, because we know from experience that was very popular with voters last time."

Under Husted's order, election boards must remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday during the first three weeks after early voting starts, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays for the final two weeks before the Nov. 6 election. The one exception is Oct. 9, the deadline for registering to vote, when all election boards will be open until 9 p.m.

Although some boards already had scheduled Saturday voting hours, Husted overruled that option, deciding that no weekend voting hours will be offered throughout Ohio. (A federal lawsuit in which President Barack Obama's campaign is seeking to restore early voting for non-military voters during the final Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election Day could change that for at least that one weekend.)

The Hamilton County election board's normal office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. In Butler County, the board's regular business hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, and both the Clermont and Warren County offices are open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Husted's move came on the same day The Enquirer reported that the counties in which his tie-breaking votes prevented extra hours had given Obama a nearly 500,000-vote advantage in 2008, while those with expanded hours had handed Republican nominee John McCain a surplus of roughly 90,000 votes.

Burke believes the firestorm of criticism over the issue - featured for the past week and a half in prominent national newspapers and on cable television programs - forced Husted to act quickly to try to dispel the perception that Republicans were manipulating the voting system. On Tuesday, Husted had said he likely would take his time before settling on any statewide plan.

"He couldn't afford to let that go on any longer," Burke said.

But Husted said Wednesday's decision simply resolved a "situation that never had to exist."

His earlier votes against extending early voting hours in Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Franklin (Columbus), Summit (Akron) and Lucas (Toledo) counties, Husted said, were the product of the legislature's failure to establish uniform voting days and hours, as he requested in 2011.

In those four counties, the elections boards deadlocked 2-2. In each case, the two Republican members opposed extra hours favored by their Democratic counterparts, putting the issue before Husted. His tie-breaking votes, he added, were intended to preserve the boards' "existing office hours to avoid having a state actor establish" varying voting hours in different counties.

Husted's votes came even as GOP-friendly counties - without his involvement - extended their hours, thanks to Democrats' willingness to go along with the plans.

His directive creating one set of early in-person voting hours for the entire state, Husted said, will help "ensure a smooth election ... in which all voters can have confidence."

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All counties will have same hours for voting

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, facing heavy criticism over uneven voting hours that appeared to benefit Republicans, Wednesday ordered all 88 county boards of elections to stay open the same